This one was never really about the football for long stretches. Sevilla edged out Rayo Vallecano 2-1 at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, but the real story was a match that boiled over repeatedly — nine yellow cards and a late red turned this into a genuine war of attrition rather than a tactical契.
Rayo took an early lead through Álvaro García inside the opening ten minutes, immediately putting Sevilla on the back foot in front of their own crowd. The hosts responded with control rather than panic, gradually working their way back into the game before turning it around in the second half.
With Kike Salas seeing red for Sevilla late on, this was a match that tested squad discipline as much as quality. Sevilla will take the three points, but the disciplinary record from this one is worth watching heading into their next fixture.